SPY PICS: Audi RS 7 plug-in to crack four secs

The 2019 Audi RS 7 has been spied again, sporting more camouflage than the last time the high-performance luxury liftback was seen in public.

Media outlets in Europe are suggesting that the top-shelf RS 7 plug-in hybrid – still powered by a 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8, but with added electrical power – should be good for 700bhp (522kW) and a 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds.

The engine is expected to power the new Bentley Continental GT and the plug-in mechanicals are more or less shared with the Porsche Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid. Both the standard RS 7 and the plug-in version will reportedly run quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed. As standard, the Audi RS 7 is anticipated to run on 20-inch alloy wheels under its flared wheel arches, but there may be a 21-inch alloy option available also.

The photos for this outing reveal the disguised RS 7 was trailed by a small Hyundai, possibly in an attempt to mislead the uninitiated that this might be a new Genesis model. The grilles certainly bear more than a passing resemblance...

So has Audi taken to copying Hyundai's styling now? It would certainly beat keeping Peter Schreyer on the payroll.